It is most true, Sir, we fhall never meet again, except God turn your Heart; for I ftand undoubtedly affur'd that unless you repent and turn to God, you are in a fad and desperate Cafe: and I pray to God in the Bowels of his Mercy to fend you his Holy Spirit, for he hath given you his great Gift of Utterance, if it please him to open the Eyes of your Heart to his Truth. But at these words he rudely departed without further Answer, while the Saintlike Lady withdrew her felf into her private Bedchamber, where the imploy'd her self in moft devout Prayer till the night before her Death; at what time The took a fair new Teftament in Greek, on which, after the had read a while, offering to close up the Book, fhe found in the end thereof fome few Leaves of clean Paper unwritten; which as it were awakening and inciting her Zeal to fome good and charitable Office, fhe took Pen and Ink, and in those waft Leaves wrote a moft learned and godly Exhortation; which as foon as she had finish'd it, she clos'd up the Book and deliver'd it to her Servant to bear unto her Sifter the Lady Katherine, as the laft Token of her Love and Remembrance, which was with great diligence perform'd. The Tenor of the Exhortation was this which followeth.

An Exhortation written by the Lady Jane Dudley the night before her Death, in the end of the New Teftament in Greek, which she sent to her Sifter the Lady Katherine Gray.

Have here fent you (my dear Sifter Katherine) a Book, which Imbroidery of the artfulleft Needles, yet inwardly it is more worth than all the precious Mines which the vaft World can boaft of. It is the Book, my only beft and beft lov'd Sifter, of the Law of the Lord: It is the Teftament and laft Will which he bequeath'd unto us Wretches and wretched Sinners, which fhall lead you to the Path of eternal Joy: And if you with a good mind read it, and with an earneft defire follow it, no doubt it fhail bring you to an immortal and everlafting Life. It will teach you to live, and learn you to die: It fhall win you more, and endow you with greater Felicity than you'fhou'd have gain'd by the poffeffion of our woful Father's Lands; for as if God had profper'd him, you fhou'd have inherited his Honours and Manors, fo if you apply diligently this Book, feeking to direct your Life according to the rule of the fame, you fhall be an In. heritor of fuch Riches, as neither the Covetous fhall withdraw from you, neither the Thief thall fteal, neither yet, the Moths

corrupt,

corrupt. Defire with David, my beft Sifter, to understand the Law of the Lord your God; live ftill to die, that you by Death may purchase eternal Life, and truft not that the tenderness of your Age fhall lengthen your Life; for unto God, when he calleth, all Hours, Times and Seafons are alike, and blefs'd are they whofe Lamps are furnish'd when he cometh, for as foon will the Lord be glorify'd in the Young as in the Old.

My good Sifter, once again more let me intreat thee to learn to die; deny the World, defy the Devil, and defpife the Flesh, and delight your felf only in the Lord; be penitent for your Sins, and yet defpair not; be ftrong in Faith, yet prefume not, and defire with St. Paul to be diffolv'd and to be with Chrift, with whom even in Death there is Life.

Be like the good Servant, and even at midnight be waking, left when Death cometh and ftealeth upon you like a Thief in the night, you be with the Servants of Darkness found fleeping, and left for lack of Oil you be found like the five foolish Virgins, or like him that had not on the Wedding Garment, and then you be caft into Darkness, or banish'd from the Marriage. Rejoice in Chrift, as I truft you do; and seeing you have the name of a Chriftian, as near as you can follow the fteps, and be a true Imitator of your Mafter Chrift Jefus, and take up your Crofs, lay your Sins on his back, and always imbrace him.

Now as touching my Death, rejoice as I do, my dearest Sifter, that I fhall be deliver'd of this Corruption, and put on Incorruption; for I am affur'd that I fhall, for lofing of a mortal Life, win one that is immortal, joyful and everlasting; the which I pray God grant you in his moft bleffed Hour, and fend you his all-faving Grace to live in his Fear, and to die in the true Chriftian Faith. From which in God's Name I exhort you that you never fwerve, neither for hope of Life, nor fear of Death; for if you will deny his Truth to give length to a weary and corrupt breath, God himself will deny you, and by vengeance make short what you by your Soul's Lofs wou'd pro long; but if you will cleave to him, he will stretch forth your days to an uncircumfcrib'd Comfort, and to his own Glory: To the which Glory God bring me now, and you hereafter, when it fhall please him to call you. Farewel once again, my belov'd Sifter, and put your only truft in God, who only mußt help you Amen.

Your loving Sifter,

JANE DUDLET.

After

After the Lady Jane had finifh'd this Exhortation to her Sifter, and fent it away by her Servant, there came unto her two Bishops and other learned Doctors, who likewise held with her more than two hours Conference, ftriving with all their powers to have drawn her to have died in the obedience of their Church and Fellowship, but found themselves infinitely deceiv'd; for her Faith, being built upon the Rock of Chrift, was by no worldly Perfuafion or Comfort to be either mov'd or fhaken fo that after the Expence of Time, and the Lofs of much Speech, they left her (as they faid) a loft and forfaken Member; but fhe, as before, pray'd for them, and with a moft charitable Patience endur'd their worft Cenfures.

The next day fhe was call'd down to go to the place of Execution, to which the had prepar'd her felf with more Diligence than either the Malice of her Adverfarys could defire, or the vigilance of any Officer, for the discharge of his Duty, expect; and being come down and deliver'd into the hands of the Sheriffs, they might behold in her a Countenance fo gravely fettled with all modeft and comely Refolution, that not the leaft Hair or Mote either of Fear or Grief cou'd be perceiv'd to proceed either out of her Speech or Motions: but like a demure Body, going to be united to her Heart's beft and longeft belov'd; fo fhew'd the forth all the Beams of a well-mix'd and temper'd alacrity, rather inftructing Patience how it fhou'd fuffer, than being by Patience any way able to indure the Travel of fo grievous a Journy. With this bleffed and modeft boldness of Spirit, undaunted and unalter'd, she went towards the Scaffold, till whether thro the Malice of some great Adverfary, or the Indiscretion of the Officers (but the latter is more credible) fhe incountred upon the way, as fhe went, the headless Trunk of her new dead Lord and Husband, the Lord Guilford Dudley, at that inftant returning from the Scaf fold to the Tower to be buried. This Spectacle a little startled her, and many Tears were feen to defcend and fall upon her Cheeks, which her Silence and great Heart foon dry'd ; and be ing now come upon the Scaffold, after reverence done to the Lords and others in Commiffion (turning her felf round about to the People) she spake these words as followeth :

The Lady Jane Dudley's Words upon the Scaffold before her Death.

Y Lords, and you good Chriftian People, which come to fee me die; I am under a Law, and by that Law, as a never-erring Judg, I am condemn'd to die, not for any thing

I have offended the Queen's Majefty, for I will wash my hands guiltlefs thereof, and deliver to my God a Soul as pure from fuch Trefpafs, as Innocence from Injuftice; but only for that contented to the thing I was inforc'd unto, Conftraint making the Law believe I did that which I never understood: notwithstanding I have offended Almighty God, in that I have follow'd overmuch the Luft of mine own Flefh, and the Plea fures of this wretched World, neither have I liv'd according to the knowledg that God hath given me, for which caufe God hath appointed unto me this kind of Death, and that moft worthily, according to my Deferts; howbeit I thank him heartily that he hath given me time to repent of my Sins here in this World, and to reconcile my felf to my Redeemer, whom my former Vanities have in a great measure difpleas'd. Wherefore (my Lords, and all you good Chriftian People) I muft earneftly defire you all to pray with me and for me whilft I am yet alive, that God of his infinite Goodness and Mercy will forgive me my Sins, how numberless and grievous foever against him: And I befeech you all to bear me witness that I here die a true Chriftian Woman, profeffing and avouching from my Soul, that I truft to be fav'd by the Blood, Paffion and Merits of Jefus Chrift my Saviour only, and by no other means, cafting far behind me all the Works and Merits of mine own Actions, as things fo far fhort of the true Duty I owe, that I quake to think how much they may ftand up against me. And now I pray you all pray for me, and with me: And at those words, fhe repeated the Pfalm of Miferere mei; which done, the faid, Lord fave my Soul, which now I commend into thy hands. And fo with all Meeknefs of Spirit, and a Saintlike Patience, The prepar'd her felf to the Block,

Phenir

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Phenix XIX.

A Brief Discourse of the Troubles begun at Frankfort in Germany, Ann. Dom. 1554. about the Book of Common Prayer and Ceremonies, and continued by the Englishmen there, to the end of Q. Mary's Reign.

First publifh'd in the Year 1575.

The PREFACE of the firft Publisher of this History.

To the Chriftian Readers, Grace, Mercy, and Peace, in Chrift Jefus our Lord.

S

UCH as do well obferve the Variety of mens Judgments about thefe matters of Controversy, and the fuppos'd Causes of the fame, fhall find it a thing more than wonderful to behold, and paffing strange to hear. But whofo fhall well weigh and confider, what extreme Calamities and Miferies this Broil bath brought with it to many godly Perfons which unfeignedly fear God; the fame must of force, as Ithink if he have but one drop of Humanity within him) draw forth deep and forrowful Sighs from the Heart, and Tears from

the